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On Monday night, the George Mason athletic department, its
student-athletes, coaches and staff, gathered at the Mason Inn to recognize the
2012 senior class one last time and announce the recipients of the annual
awards.

Director of Athletics Tom O'Connor opened the awards portion
of the evening presenting Madison Beumer with the Aimee Willard Commemorative
Award. The award was established in 1997 and is presented to the Mason
student-athlete who best exemplifies the standards of quality set by Aimee:
intensity, consistency of purpose, achievement and teamwork. Nominees are
selected by head coaches and the recipient is selected by Gail Willard, Aimee's
mother, and the Willard family.

Beumer, a junior from Ballston Spa, N.Y., is the first student-athlete
from the rowing team to receive the honor. A member of the varsity 8 boat this season, Beumer helped lead the Patriots to a first place finish at the Occoquan Chase and the Head of the Occoquan.

A total of 97 seniors from 20 sports including the cheerleading and dance teams were honored with the George Mason Award during the evening. The award was commissioned in January
of 1997 in an effort to recognize the culmination of a student-athlete's
participation in intercollegiate athletics. The hand-sculpted artwork of George
Mason was designed as a permanent remembrance of both the institution and the
student-athlete's legacy.

The evening's final awards were presented to the winners of
the Dr. Frank Pettrone Student-Athlete of the Year. The winners of this award
were selected by the student-athletes and staff members of the athletic
department based on the following standards: be a team player on and off the
field, demonstrate motivated qualities and good sportsmanship and maintain good
academic standing.

Four-time All-American Ashley Danner, a senior on the women's
swimming & diving team, took home her third Female Student-Athlete of the
Year award, while senior men's basketball player Ryan Pearson won the Male
Student-Athlete of the Year award.

Danner, the recipient of the award the previous two years,
was named the CAA Swimmer of the Year and CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major Swimmer
of the Year after finishing second in the 100-yard breaststroke and fifth in
the 200-yard breaststroke at the NCAA Championships. Danner was the top overall
point scorer for the women in the CAA Championships with 60 points after
winning three individual events. The Springfield, Va. native has competed at
the NCAA Championships all four years of her collegiate career. This marks the
fourth time a member of the women's swimming & diving team took home the
award.

Pearson earned CAA Player of the Year plaudits after
finishing his senior campaign ranking third in the conference in scoring (17.0
ppg) and fifth in rebounding (8.2 rpg). Additionally, the Far Rockaway, N.Y.
native shot 50.3 percent from the field and led the Patriots in points,
rebounds and steals. Pearson capped his four-year playing career at Mason
earning Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention, USBWA All-District and
VaSID All-State First Team honors. Pearson becomes the fifth member of the men's
basketball team to receive the award.

Seniors were also recognized for their efforts in the
classroom as 20 student-athletes received the Scholar-Athlete Award for
carrying a cumulative grade point average of 3.4 or greater. In addition, five seniors
also received the Provost's Scholar Student-Athlete Award for carrying a 3.75
cumulative GPA or higher. A complete list of
the student-athletes receiving the Scholar-Athlete Award is below with those
earning the Provost's Award indicated with an asterisk.